German carriers Vodafone and 1&1 have officially launched their national roaming partnership, enhancing mobile communications across Germany. Building on a preliminary agreement from last year, the deal ensures new 1&1 customers can seamlessly access Vodafone’s network in areas not yet covered by 1&1. The transition between networks is automatic and undetectable to users.
1&1, Germany’s fourth network operator, is actively developing its mobile infrastructure nationwide. Until their infrastructure is more established, 1&1 will rely exclusively on Vodafone for national roaming, moving away from their current dependency on Telefonica Germany. Existing 1&1 customers will also gain from this agreement, with access to both the 1&1 5G network and Vodafone’s national roaming.
Ralph Dommermuth, CEO of 1&1, stated, “We are convinced that our customers will benefit from the partnership. Vodafone has invested in very good network quality in recent years and is achieving strong results, particularly in terms of nationwide 5G coverage. At the same time, our main goal remains to expand the 1&1 mobile network as quickly as possible and to make our innovative Open RAN technology available in more and more areas.”
The deal is long-term, featuring financial mechanisms to protect both companies from rising costs and increasing data volumes. This collaboration builds on prior cooperation under their MVNO contract.
1&1, owned by United Internet AG, reported having built 1,334 antenna sites by the end of the first quarter. They launched services using their network in December 2023, and by March, approximately 700,000 customers were using their Open RAN network. This network is fully virtualized and leverages hardware, software, and services from over 80 partners, ensuring advanced and flexible operations.
Meanwhile, Vodafone Germany has connected half of the population to its 5G standalone (SA) network through 5,500 5G SA locations. Over 4,000 of these stations employ antennas operating in the 3.5 GHz frequency range. This 5G SA network, launched in 2022, was developed in collaboration with Ericsson, Nokia, Qualcomm, and Oppo.
